Why rookie guard Colby Jones could be the next player to step up for Sacramento Kings

Some of the most impactful decisions made by Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown this season came without warning.

Among them, Keon Ellis’ emergence as a regular starter — which has also been necessitated by injury — popped into Brown’s head early in the season when Ellis played well in garbage time against the Houston Rockets in early November.

More recently, Davion Mitchell’s hot run since the All-Star break has given Sacramento a much-needed boost in the absence of sixth man Malik Monk, and came after Mitchell fell out of the rotation for spurts before the All-Star break.

In Sunday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, Brown turned to another youngster, rookie second-round pick Colby Jones, after he helped spark the Kings’ comeback attempt Friday night in Boston. With Jones getting a rare run with starters De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray and Harrison Barnes, the Kings outscored the Celtics by 17 points in the final 5:49 of the game with Jones on the floor.

“In Boston, it was just a gut feel. He wasn’t on the minutes sheet or anything like that,” Brown said following a 107-77 victory over the Nets. “We were down big at the time. I said to myself, ‘What better time to take a look at him with the other four guys out there than right now?’ So we threw him out there and we thought he played well.”

That led to Brown putting Jones on his minute sheet for Sunday. The 21-year-old played 23 active minutes against the Nets, posting four rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots. He finished with seven points on 3-of-9 shooting, which illustrates what he’s working on while trying to carve out regular time in the rotation as the season winds down.

Jones is often the first Kings’ player out on the floor before games doing a rigorous shooting routine that includes shooting 3s off the dribble and spotting up, along with an array of moves in the lane.

Jones has spent much of his season bulking up in the weight room, adding five pounds of weight while dropping body fat. His teammates joke with him about how muscular he looks compared to when he first arrived as a rookie over the summer.

“I definitely keep working on my shot,” Jones said. “My 3-point shot, free throws, and then I would just say playing both sides of the ball with maximum effort. I use a lot of my energy on defense. Offense, you gotta be able to hit the open shot, so I’m trying to find my balance with that.”

Jones has bounced between Sacramento and the G-League Stockton team throughout the season. With Stockton, Jones operates as a primary ball handler like he did late in his college career. He averaged 19.8 points on 15.3 shots with 7.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.

The adjustment with the NBA team is playing more without the ball and doing the little things, which he was known for in college, and which he did during his minutes in Boston and Brooklyn.

For Jones, he’s had an up-close view of the opportunities given to Ellis and Mitchell with Monk sidelined. If Ellis’ ascension and Mitchell’s improved efficiency are any indication, Jones could see his role increase over the final four games of the season as the Kings battle to improve their position in the Western Conference standings.

“When they get their opportunity and they’re making the most of it,” Jones said. “So it’s definitely inspirational, definitely very motivating for me to see two guys of similar position as me make it happen.”

The Kings after Sunday’s win are a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for No. 8 in the West. Jones’ teammates are confident he can help them as they try to secure a playoff spot.

“Colby’s playing really well defensively,” Mitchell said. “Getting downhill, getting teammates involved, and he’s playing the right way. It’s something we need. He’s kind of been ready the whole season, so that’s good to see.”